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Quote: A Silicon Valley company has hailed as a major landmark the production of their one
billionth computer mouse.
Logitech's description comes at a time when analysts claim the days of the mouse are numbered.
"It's rare in human history that a billionth of anything has been shipped by one company," said
Logitech's general manager Rory Dooley.
"Look at any other industry and it has never happened. This is a significant milestone," he told
the BBC.
But sounding the death knell for the device is Gartner analyst Steve Prentice who said "the mouse
will no longer be mainstream in three to five years."
However he did acknowledge the manufacture of the one billionth mouse was a "tremendous
achievement." BBC.
Wall Street Journal: Google Gears Down for
Tougher Times — MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Corporate austerity
is reaching one of the most extravagant spenders of the boom years. Google Inc. has begun
to tighten its belt. — For much of its 10-year history, Google spent money at a
pace that was the marvel of Silicon Valley.
La crise est telle que même Google - dont les largesses ont longtemps fait le bonheur de
Silicon Valley - s’applique à faire des économies. La valeur de l’action
est passée de 741 USD à 275 USD entre novembre 2007 et maintenant. Le Wall Street
Journal nous rappelle que la société a mis fin au
[suite...]
A few
months ago Sequoia Capital doused the ever ebullient Silicon Valley with a bucket of ice cold
reality when it laid “good times” to rest. Today, one of Sequoia’s all time
stars laid a big wreath on that grave in the pages of The Wall Street Journal. Google.
And while it didn’t implicitly state that it might face tough times next year, comments by
its CEO amount to a proverbial bear call which could mean bad news now only for Google but also
for rest of the media and advertising sector.
“We have to behave as though we don’t know what’s going to
happen,” Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt told the Wall Street Journal. It
seems like a prudent move. But I see it as a big red flag and I think Schmidt is preparing us for
what could be a terrible 2009. The WSJ says that Google executives have been preparing for slower
growth for a year but “the economic crisis is forcing them to step up their efforts.”
According to conventional wisdom (and investors) Google is the best positioned company to survive
and perhaps thrive in the current advertising slump. If the leader of the pack is feigning
ignorance about its chances, what can one say about mere mortals.
I find it hard to believe that a company that keeps world famous economist like Hal Varian (who
muses on economy and Google’s prospects often on the investor calls), doesn’t know.
As a company Google collects enough data on a daily basis that it can take a fair pulse of the
broader economy. Remember, they could accurately track the spread of flu across America just
based on searches, so why can’t the track the economic-sentiment? Additionally it sells ads
to everyone from mom-and-pop shops to consumer durable giants and it has a fair idea on the
degree of tightness people are holding their billfolds. They have enough intellectual horsepower
on campus to put two-and-two together.
Beyond Schmidt’s statement, one has to look at their other moves such as plans to slash
10,000 or so of their contractors, slowing cap-ex investments and
killing off projects. These point to tough times for the company that has lived a lush life so
far.
Projects that are too pie-in-the-sky are going to be killed. Schmidt calls it the “dark
matter.” Google
Lively and Google SearchMash are two of the many
projects, which will soon not matter. Google is contemplating killing of Google Notebook and
Google Audio Indexing as well. Google Page Creator has given way to Google Sites. In that vein,
Google is going to prune overlapping products. No more the 20-percent time for pet projects for
engineers, though it might come back once the economic wheel churns. These are smart and prudent
moves even if they are prompted by desperate need to control costs and meet their numbers.
I know it might sound hokey but rich don’t stop driving their Aston Martins just because
the price of gas is going up. They do so when they are not as rich! The same analogy holds for
Google and its cost cutting efforts. Just remember how much of PR they milked out of their
20-percent philosophy. They are essentially eating a cow-pie on that. They wouldn’t be
doing this unless things are really really and REALLY tough.
Google needs to keep its sales machine going at a time when it is facing the same
malaise as that of broader market – slowing spending on marketing and
advertising. There is some argument that Google is going to win because of their
performance-based advertising system.
While that is true to some extent but what happens when the economy goes into a deep freeze? If
you don’t have money to splurge on a large screen Plasma TV, there is little chance you are
going to search for that, and fewer the opportunities for Google to sell more ads against those
searches. Of course, if there is no intent to buy amongst the searchers, then there is less
inclination to click on those ads as well. And that is not good news for Google.
Google, of course is going to try and meet its targets by taking more out of the pocket of its
“adsense” partners and undercutting competitors. WSJ points out that the company
is focusing heavily on display, mobile and other ad-opportunities, which can only mean bad news
for their rivals.
Tout est parti d'un twitt de Cédric Ingrand
signalant qu'il partait à San Francisco et était prêt à rencontrer des
entrepreneurs. Philippe Jeudy prend contact avec lui et voilà le Geektrip organisé par
Altaide Valley en vedette dans l'émission Plein
Ecran sur LCI. La séquence démarre à la 3ème minute mais toute
l'émission est intéressante. A signaler vers la 11ème mn l'interview de Carlos
Diaz au sujet de Bluekiwi.
Tout est parti d'un twitt de Cédric Ingrand
signalant qu'il partait à San Francisco et était prêt à rencontrer des
entrepreneurs. Philippe Jeudy prend contact avec lui et voilà le Geektrip organisé par
Altaide Valley en vedette dans l'émission Plein
Ecran sur LCI. La séquence démarre à la 3ème minute mais toute
l'émission est intéressante. A signaler vers la 11ème mn l'interview de Carlos
Diaz au sujet de Bluekiwi.
Tout est parti d'un twitt de Cédric Ingrand
signalant qu'il partait à San Francisco et était prêt à rencontrer des
entrepreneurs. Philippe Jeudy prend contact avec lui et voilà le Geektrip organisé par
Altaide Valley en vedette dans l'émission Plein
Ecran sur LCI. La séquence démarre à la 3ème minute mais toute
l'émission est intéressante. A signaler vers la 11ème mn l'interview de Carlos
Diaz au sujet de Bluekiwi.
Tout est parti d'un twitt de Cédric Ingrand
signalant qu'il partait à San Francisco et était prêt à rencontrer des
entrepreneurs. Philippe Jeudy prend contact avec lui et voilà le Geektrip organisé par
Altaide Valley en vedette dans l'émission Plein
Ecran sur LCI. La séquence démarre à la 3ème minute mais toute
l'émission est intéressante. A signaler vers la 11ème mn l'interview de Carlos
Diaz au sujet de Bluekiwi.
Pour info le prochain Geektrip aura lieu en février, si vous êtes intéressé
contactez nous : phil.jeudy@altaide.com
Pownce, le concurrent annoncé de Twitter qui fut décrit par le New York Times comme
the hottest startup in Silicon Valley se dirige tout droit vers le Terminus après avoir
été racheté par Six Apart. Le service qui fit créé par le
fondateur de Digg Kevin
h4Sparks, Fisker fly/h4 pstrong'Leccy Tech/strong More signs that all is not well at Tesla, maker
of the leccy Roadster. Posting on his own a
href="http://sirycars.blogspot.com/2008/12/switching-off.html" target="_blank"blog/a Tesla Senior
VP Darryl Siry has revealed he is parting company with the Silicon Valley-based car company
immediately “due to some disagreements in strategy”..../p
Jay Adelson told BusinessWeek that the companys off the blocks. Except no company in Silicon Valley
is ever really not for sale, if you think about it.
Jay Adelson told BusinessWeek that the companys off the blocks. Except no company in Silicon Valley
is ever really not for sale, if you think about it.
Jay Adelson told BusinessWeek that the companys off the blocks. Except no company in Silicon Valley
is ever really not for sale, if you think about it.
Believe it or not, in the old days here, and before at the EDD and a printshop, I overlooked
resumes and gave out advice. This was in the days of the typewriter and the one page resume rule.
Now resumes are slightly larger and often emailed so over one page is not an automatic
dismissal.
I was thinking of getting a PT job while I was building my business and going to school. I put my
regular experience down, the accredited education, objective, etc.
But I was thinking of putting in trade school, unaccredited info into my resumes. Good Idea? I went
to the Microsoft technician's school to get my Microsoft Certification training (places like that
would be New Horizons, Microsoft Silicon Valley Campus, and Full Sail).
All Microsoft schools are required, then by Bill Gates, to only go for the lowest possible
standard, sound familar?, and are only accredited by the US Department of Education. But that's the
lowest form of accredidation and used for business license purposes mostly.
The real and only accredidation for the education section of a resume are the regional accrediting
bodies, like the Western Association of Schools and Colleges which covers K-12, junior colleges,
and senior colleges like Stanford, Cal, and San Jose State, for instance.
Do any of you put in trade schools into your education section or is that a strict no-no?
Ravit
Lichtenberg is the founder and chief strategist at Ustrategy.com—a boutique consultancy with a mission to
help startups succeed. She authors a blog at ravitlichtenberg.com.
With the economic downturn grinding the startup wheels to a near-halt here and abroad, companies
are competing for a smaller pie. Capital, acquisition odds, advertising dollars, and consumer
wallets are all becoming much smaller.
If you are a European startup in the consumer Web services or product space, you have even more
obstacles to overcome than your US counterparts. For one, funding in Europe is still very limited
and narrowly focused compared to the US. Second, your consumer base is much
smaller—especially if your product is localized for language and service.
Third, the more innovative you get, the more likely it is you’ll bump against a much
greater skepticism and a much smaller pool of early adopters.
So you decide to come here—Silicon Valley, the Mecca of anything
startup– to raise funds and tap into the massive and enthusiastic US customer base. But
right now, even though you may have enjoyed great interest as investors expand their reach
internationally, you’re up against fierce competition from just about everyone.
And this is where European startups face the biggest challenge: presenting your company in a way
that makes sense—the US way.
Fundamental differences
In the past 2 months I’ve listened to over 40 pitches from French, Belgian, British, and
Eastern European companies. About 1 in 15 presented their company in a way that would stick. This
is because Europeans tend to build their case in a highly academic way–stating the
conditions under which their offering makes sense and building their argument from there.
American audiences, on the other hand, are used to seeing
“the bottom line first” and they do things very fast by European standards.
“They’re like cowboys,” a Belgian CEO told me. “First they shoot then
they look.” This is a fundamental difference in how people present and perceive
information. And it can mean the difference that gets you to that second meeting, someone writing
about your startup, and even getting funding.
Key points to remember
Let’s go over a few key points that can help you present your company in a way that makes
more sense here:
1. First impression is (almost) everything.
Americans know this very well. That’s why they work on their “elevator pitch.”
You have 30-60 seconds to create an impression. Want to spruce it up even more? Have a 1-2 minute
demo ready on your iPhone that plays while you speak. Think: Why are you different? What makes
you stand out? How do you stick in someone’s mind? Why should an investor want to see you
again? These are questions that should always be on your mind and guide what you
say— all in 60 seconds or less.
2. Speak in benefits. Customer benefits, that is.
Europeans tend to be highly accomplished on the technology side. In the US, you also need to
think about, and communicate, what your prospective customers will be able to do thanks to your
technology. How will it address a true customer need? Why will a customer use it? Better
yet—why will they pay for it? Every time you speak about a feature or
capability of your technology, immediately follow with “and that means that customers will
be able to...” (fill in the blank).
3. Start with the end first.
It may sound counter intuitive but business communication in the US is often non-linear and
starts with the conclusion first. The people with whom you meet will want to know what your
product does and how much money you expect to make from it. If that sticks, then you can go back
and talk about how you got to the idea, how you developed it, all those other things it can be,
etc.
4. Know your numbers.
In Silicon Valley numbers speak louder than anything else. They’re also important as a
reality-check for you as technologies and competitors evolve. Don’t let anyone fool
you–no one really knows what’s going to happen so it’s okay to make
assessments—just make sure they’re intelligent ones. Be ready to talk
about your 3-year profit-and-loss (P&L) model and about your Total Addressable Market (TAM)
in clear terms.
5. Focus.
The American idiom is “put a stake in the ground.” It’s when of all the many
things your technology can be, you choose one (or two) things for now and go with them. This is a
tough one, I know, because you want to show all the great things your idea can become. But where
you see options, VCs see lack of direction. So let’s keep things in order: Decide on a
focus for now, and put the framing, benefits, and numbers around that choice. You will later have
plenty of time to develop your roadmap.
6. Investors are not your friends.
They are meeting with you because you might represent a good investing opportunity. As such, come
prepared with all your materials and if possible, with a beautifully executed demo and present
your case. If you need advice, ask your friends, other CEOs, or advisors if you have them. In
fact, ask anyone–just not investors you’d like to work with. Once the term sheet has
been completed and the deal signed, they’ll provide you with plenty of advice whether you
want it or not. It’s their job.
7. Networking is key.
Many European CEOs think networking and mingling is “cocktail hour saved for those who
don’t do real work.” But in the US—and especially in the Silicon
Valley—this is an important catalyst to getting business done. You need to get
out of your three-cubicle office which you’re sharing with four other companies and go to
events. You need to tell other CEOs, bloggers, and investors about your product. You’ll get
invaluable advice that will undoubtedly help you move forward, new connection points, and a
perspective on the startup world within which you operate. This is just as important as making
phone calls and taking meetings.
8. Keep it short.
Repeatedly I hear that CEOs talk about their companies for too long. Yes- you want to make sure
people understand the breadth of your offering, but more talk doesn’t necessarily get you
results. Lucas Grassi Gurfein, former International Product Manager for Yahoo!Inc. suggests
bullet points often work best: Use them as talking points and keep your presentation short. More
important than demonstrating the history of your idea is creating a stellar impression and a
genuine curiosity in your listeners’ minds; you want them to come back and say “can
we talk more?” Less, you see, is truly more.
9. Don’t be argumentative.
In most European countries, debating a topic is just part of daily conversations. To most
Americans—unless they were on their college debate team—the
practice of debate can be unnerving. You already know that Europeans can be perceived as
uncomfortably direct here—add debating and you come across as argumentative
and maybe even hostile, which is hardly what you meant.
Try to balance between presenting your rationale and listening to feedback. If you have a thought
about the point being brought up, you can always start by acknowledging the feedback’s
validity and then add how you’re thinking of addressing it.
10. Tap into the existing infrastructure.
There are a number of organizations and initiatives designed directly to help advance European
companies in the US:
· Each country typically has a Chamber of Commerce in the Bay Area which puts together
business-related events and can help you get connected much faster than you could do on your own.
· There are non-profit organizations like SVOD and VC backed events like the Dow Jones’ Venture
Wire EuroTech Showcase that help promote European startups through connections to venture
capital firms and journalists.
· A number of organizations sponsor conferences, competitions, and
“boot-camps” for startups. GuideWire’s Innovate!Europe is one
example—it focuses on identifying new and promising talent in Europe and
helping them grow globally. Make sure you’re aware of these and attend at least a few each
year.
As the CEO of a European startup you will need to overcome a number of obstacles. At the same
time, the European tendency to take more calculated risks, base products on proprietary
technology, and have demonstrated success abroad, can translate into leverage especially in these
difficult times.
As venture capital firms increasingly diversify their portfolio with a greater reach abroad, you
may in fact enjoy more opportunity than ever before. If your product is truly offering customers
a way to do something new, something they want—if you help them make existing
interactions less painful—you’re just as likely (if not more) to get a
piece of that funding pie and more of those cavorted consumer eyes. The key is to communicate
what you do and what’s unique about your startup’s offering in a way that matches how
people perceive and respond to information in the US.
Have tips of your own? Share them below in the comments.
I regret to say that I will be unable to escape from my new job to cover CES this year. The last
two years were fun and my feet hurt until nearly Valentine's Day each year.
The good news: I'm only a few miles away from Nokia's Mountain View office and other major Silicon
Valley offices. I hope to do more in-person work in the near future.
I met Kevin Rose co founder of Digg and Pownce a couple of
times. I found him smart, funny and engaging. I signed up for Pownce after we met, over a year
ago. But now Pownce is shutting down. I just woke up in Madrid with this email from them.
We are sad to announce that Pownce is shutting down on December 15,
2008. As of today, Pownce will no longer be accepting new users or new
pro accounts.
To help with your transition, we have built an export tool so you can
save your content. You can find the export tool at Settings > Export.
Please export your content by December 15, 2008, as the site will not
be accessible after this date.
Please visit our new home to find out more:
http://www.sixapart.com/pownce
Our thanks go out to everyone who contributed to the Pownce community,
The Pownce Crew
Pownce was supposed to be a “better Twitter” but Kevin, founder of Pownce has become extremely
famous on …Twitter. To me that is as if
Steve Jobs used Blackberry as his main communication platform. Not good. Because
as raw communication power goes with over 75K followers on Twitter (I only have 2500) Kevin is a
walking PR machine. This ranking will give you a sense of how famous Kevin is
on Twitter. He is only second to Barack Obama! Pity he could not use that power and the
promotional tools of Digg (Diggnation) to make Pownce the success it could have been. And Twitter
itself, as popular as it is, still needs to achieve to milestones, one is to get out of the geek
community itself and truly go mainstream and the other is to find a way to charge for its
services. As the financial crisis continues and VC´s stop funding fame and finally seek
fortune, Silicon Valley´s new motto will be “earn or die”.
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img
src='http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/12/gallery_geek_hotels/hotel_sidi_driss_t.jpg'/img:
Photo: a href="http://flickr.com/photos/scottroberts/2192864663/"scottroberts/Flickr/a p Whether
your fantasy hotel is a citeStar Wars/cite-style cave dwelling or a Hobbit hole in New Zealand,
specialty accommodations around the world will fulfill your nerdy needs. /p p Other hotels geek out
with crazy gear, from Apple- and Microsoft-themed suites to virtual golf courses. And while WiFi
has become a common hotel offering, a high-tech hotel in the Middle East extends internet access
all the way to its private beach. /p p These and other specialty accommodations make Wired.com's
list of top geek hotels. /p p stronga
href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Hôtel_Sidi_Driss"Hôtel Sidi Driss/a, Matmata,
Tunisia/strong /p p strongLeft:/strong The Tunisian town of Matmata is riddled with a
href="http://lexicorient.com/e.o/troglod.htm"troglodyte dwellings/a, vertical caves dug out by
humans and turned into homes. The Hôtel Sidi Driss is one such desert delight. /p p
strongGeek factor:/strong Does the cave hotel look strangely familiar? The interior was used as a
citeStar Wars/cite filming location mdash; it's the Lars' homestead on Tatooine. /p img
src='http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/12/gallery_geek_hotels/hotel_sax_t.jpg'/img: Photo
courtesy Hotel Saxpstronga href="http://www.hotelsaxchicago.com/TheMicrosoftExperience/"Hotel
Sax/a, Chicago/strong /p p Plenty of businesses have gotten into bed with Microsoft. Now you can,
too: Chicago's Hotel Sax has a partnership with the software giant that lets weary travelers relax
into "the Microsoft Experience." /p pstrongGeek factor:/strong The Studio, Hotel Sax's
"Entertainment Lounge" available to all guests features Microsoft gear like Xbox 360s and Zunes.
Don't want to share? Book your own private "Entertainment Technology" studio or suite./p img
src='http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/12/gallery_geek_hotels/hotel_1000_t.jpg'/img: Photo
courtesy Hotel 1000pstronga href="http://www.hotel1000seattle.com/"Hotel 1000/a, Seattle/strong /p
p The operators of this high-tech hotel sank millions of dollars into the latest gear. With
luxuries like ubiquitous WiFi, HD TVs and a "fully converged IP infrastructure" that allows for
internet-enabled personalization of everything from room temperatures to the art on the walls,
Hotel 1000 was a shoe-in for citeHospitality Technology/cite magazine's 2008 award for overall
technology innovation. /p p strongGeek factor:/strong After playing around on the hotel's virtual
golf course, just flip the electronic "do not disturb" sign to keep hotel staff or annoying
co-workers at bay. /p img
src='http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/12/gallery_geek_hotels/avante_t.jpg'/img: Photo:
Mark Darleyp stronga href="http://www.jdvhotels.com/hotels/avante/"Hotel Avante/a, Mountain View,
California/strong /p p Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Hotel Avante is making a big play
for big players. The 91-room boutique hotel bills itself mdash; and its guests mdash; as "smart,
visionary, iconoclastic and artistic." /p p strongGeek factor:/strong To further its "creative
clubhouse" atmosphere, each room includes an "executive toy box" with a yo-yo, an Etch A Sketch, a
Rubik's Cube, playing cards and a Slinky. /p img
src='http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/12/gallery_geek_hotels/pod_hotel_akihabara_t.jpg'/img:
Photo: a href="http://flickr.com/photos/maurizio_mwg/2515790491/"maurizio_mwg/Flickr/ap stronga
href="http://www.capsuleinn.com/"Capsule Inn Akihabara/a, Tokyo/strong /p p Capsule Inn Akihabara
is one of only a few places to stay in "Electric Town," Tokyo's anime/otaku hub and the site of the
largest electronics market in the world. The tiny capsule rooms look like washing machines from the
outside. /p p strongGeek factor:/strong The hotel's sleeping units are "designed in the image of a
jet airplane's cockpit" with every device in the capsule mdash; TV, radio, alarm clock, lighting
mdash; designed to be controlled from a sleeping position. /p img
src='http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/12/gallery_geek_hotels/pod_hotel_t.jpg'/img: Photo
courtesy The Pod Hotel p stronga href="http://www.thepodhotel.com/"The Pod Hotel/a, New York/strong
/p p With free WiFi, iPod docks, relatively inexpensive rooms (called "a
href="http://www.thepodhotel.com/yourpod.html"pods/a") and the opportunity to make new friends in
its shared bathrooms, The Pod Hotel in Manhattan's Midtown East neighborhood is making a play for
the Facebook generation. Antisocial guests will be pleased to know that some rooms have private
baths. /p p strongGeek factor:/strong Nicknamed the "Facebook Hotel," this place has its own a
href="http://podculture.thepodhotel.com/PodCultureHome/tabid/36/Default.aspx"social networking
site/a to help guests find someone for dinner, drinks, shopping or whatever. /p img
src='http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/12/gallery_geek_hotels/tribecca_grand_istudio_t.jpg'/img:
Photo courtesy Tribeca Grand Hotelpstronga href="http://www.tribecagrand.com/"Tribeca Grand
Hotel/a, New York/strong /p p With its plush bar and 98-seat a
href="http://www.tribecagrand.com/meetings/grandscreen.htm"screening room/a, the Tribeca Grand is
definitely swanky. But book an iStudio and you'll be pampered, Apple-style. /p p strongGeek
factor:/strong The a href="http://www.tribecagrand.com/rooms/istudio.htm"iStudio rooms/a. They're
decked out with Apple products, including a Power Mac G5, photo- and video-editing software and an
iPod. /p img
src='http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/12/gallery_geek_hotels/woodlyn_park_t.jpg'/img:
Photo: a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenr/106085993/"stephenr/Flickr/a pstronga
href="http://www.woodlynpark.co.nz/"Woodlyn Park/a, New Zealand/strong /p p Woodlyn Park is home to
Billy Black's Kiwi Culture Show, with sheep shearing and a dancing pig. But the real star of the
complex is a href="http://www.woodlynpark.co.nz/thehobbitmotel.html"The Hobbit Motel/a, two
polystyrene-block units with circular doors built into a hillside. /p p strongGeek factor:/strong
You can pretend you're a hobbit. /p img
src='http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/12/gallery_geek_hotels/ice_hotel_t.jpg'/img: Photo:
Ben Nilsson/Big Ben Productionspstronga href="http://www.icehotel.com/"Icehotel/a,
Jukkasjärvi, Sweden/strong /p p The Icehotel says it offers "an experience of a lifetime as
well as an encounter with art and design that will surprise your senses." Since it's made of ice
and snow, that claim sounds perfectly believable. You can book hot or cold accommodations at the
Icehotel. Each ice room is designed by an artist, such as the one shown here by Andrea Thomson. Got
the shivers? Heat up from the inside out at the a
href="http://www.icehotel.com/Content/AbsolutIcebar/"Absolut Icebar/a. /p p strongGeek
factor:/strong The ice palace in the Bond flick citeDie Another Day/cite was inspired by this
hotel. /p img
src='http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/12/gallery_geek_hotels/emirates_t.jpg'/img: Photo
courtesy Emirates Palace Hotelp stronga
href="http://www.emiratespalace.com/en/home/index.htm"Emirates Palace Hotel/a, Abu Dhabi, United
Arab Emirates/strong /p p Everything's superdeluxe at this Middle Eastern resort hotel, and it's
even better if you step up a notch: All suites boast 61-inch plasma TVs (regular rooms have puny
50-inchers). All guest rooms have handheld computers that control switches and outlets mdash; set
your language preference for the interactive screens upon check-in. /p p strongGeek factor:/strong
Free WiFi reaches all poolside areas and even the private beach. /p img
src='http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/12/gallery_geek_hotels/tomo_t.jpg'/img: Photo
courtesy Joie de Vivre Hospitalityp stronga href="http://www.jdvhotels.com/tomo/"Hotel Tomo/a, San
Francisco/strong /p p From anime-inspired wall paintings to glow-in-the-dark desk blotters, Hotel
Tomo kicks out the J-pop jams. See Wired.com's photo gallery on this Japanophile find, "a
href="http://www.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/multimedia/2007/09/gallery_hoteltomo/ "San
Francisco's Hotel Tomo Jacks Into Japanese Culture/a." /p p strongGeek factor:/strong Deluxe gaming
suites come with PlayStation 3, Wii, beanbag chairs and a 6-foot LCD projection screen./pbr
style="clear: both;"/ a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;'
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)
and reject those that you are not interested in
(
)
Ravit
Lichtenberg is the founder and chief strategist at 
American audiences, on the other hand, are used to seeing
“the bottom line first” and they do things very fast by European standards.
“They’re like cowboys,” a Belgian CEO told me. “First they shoot then
they look.” This is a fundamental difference in how people present and perceive
information. And it can mean the difference that gets you to that second meeting, someone writing
about your startup, and even getting funding.
4. Know your numbers.
